Page 94 of Fever: Love In Scrubs
“Yeah…. I got you and I’m never letting you go.”
“I mean, I know where to find you since this is your residence now. I know where you work, where your parents and sister stay. You can’t escape me that easily.”
He smiled and it was the first one I’d seen all day.
“I’d be crazy to lose you.” He pecked my lips. “I promise we won’t be any trouble. I can always go to my parents if this becomes too much.”
“I can’t hunch on you at your parents’ house. They like me, but probably notthatmuch.” We shared a laugh. “You could never be any trouble, baby. I love having you two around. I just want you to feel safe and most of all welcomed.”
“I know.” He sighed heavily. “I guess I’ll take tomorrow and see if there is anything salvageable. I’m gonna go out later and pick us up a few things since we’ll be here for a while.”
Silence fell upon us as I laid in his arms. He’d closed his eyes again and went back to caressing me. I was almost drifting off to sleep when there was a light tap on the door. I rolled into his side and called for the person to come in. It was Jamari.
“Can I lay with you?” she asked, softly.
Jaxson opened his other arm to her. She quickly closed the door and kicked off her shoes before climbing into bed and snuggling up to her father. She reached for my hand and linked our fingers. Jaxson pulled us in closer.
“My girls,” he whispered. “As long as I have you, I’m good.”
Simultaneously, we all released a breath.
This was comfort.
This was peace.
This… was love.
TWO MONTHS LATER
Icouldn’t believe a whole two months had gone by since we lost our home.
Since Amandela used an accelerant, the fire spread quicker. Part of the second floor collapsed and made things worse. What wasn’t damaged by the fire, was damaged with smoke and soot. The only thing I decided to take from the ruins was the contents of my fireproof safe that had all of our important documents, keepsakes, and emergency cash.
While we’d settled in at Wynter’s place, I was actively looking for a home for us. Insurance had paid me out and I had enough to buy a house out right. I just hadn’t found anything that felt like home. The other part of that was the fact that I wanted Wynter to feel at home too.
I knew when I bought a home, I wanted it to be for the three of us, not just me and Jamari. I knew things moved quickly between us, but fuck it. We were grown. Within six months of meeting this woman, I knew I wanted to marry, come home to, make babies, and raise a family with her.
The way that she’d showed up for us the past two months was nothing short of amazing. I wanted her with us and I was working on making that happen.
Days that she got off work before me, she always picked Jamari up from her grandparents or my sisters. She made sure her homework was done and that she ate dinner. Jamari didn’t have to be told twice to do something. If Wynter said it, she did it. She set the standard and Jamari followed it.
She spoke to my baby with love and respect, never having to raise her voice to be heard. Once a week, she bought Jamari flowers fitted with a handwritten note. On the weekends I had to work, they had their little girl’s day with Kaci, Asia, and my mother. On occasion, her aunt and cousin came down and joined them. We were all becoming one big happy family.
My baby was in much better spirits these days. I’d gotten her into therapy and she was talking out her feelings about her mother. I gave her privacy with her sessions and allowed her to come to me when she wanted to talk. Since the whole birthday fiasco, she didn’t want to speak to me about her mama and that was her right. Wynter had gotten her a journal and she was forever writing in it. Sometimes she shared what she wrote with us, but we respected her privacy not to go looking.
This was the healthy co-parenting I’d craved. Wynter wasn’t her mother and she never tried to be. Still, she created a safe space for my child and for that, I loved the fuck out of her.
I pulled up in front of The Connection Compass and shut off my car. I’d take today off because I had something important to do. I’d gotten up early, made love to my woman to send her offfor the day, cooked her and Jamari breakfast before taking her to school, and gotten on the road. My nerves were on ten for what I was about to do. The whole ride up here, I’d driven in silence, rehearsing what I wanted to say.
The moment I pulled into the parking lot, my mind went blank. This could have been a phone call, but it was something I needed to do in person. Taking a deep breath, I got out of the car and headed inside. After stopping at the receptionist desk, I headed back to Ms. Kira’s office. I’d purposely scheduled an appointment with her under a fake name so this would be a surprise.
Knocking on the door, I waited for her to answer. A few seconds later, the door opened and she looked at me with wide eyes.
“Jaxson? Baby, what are you doing here? Is everything okay? Oh, my God, is it Wynter!”
I grabbed her hands and squeezed them. “Calm down. Everything is fine. I just want to talk to you about something.”
She gave a sigh of relief. “Boy, don’t scare me like that! Get your ass in here.”
